Love in Creation

This is a comparison of God and the Dao (collectively referred to as Ultimate Concern) with the intention of expanding a theology of God. It settles on two areas with regards to God and the Dao: cosmogony and soteriology. Daoists have a particular interest in the origins of the cosmos, because the manner in which the cosmos unfolds informs them of the manner in which they return to the Dao. In recognition of this worldview, cosmogony and soteriology are chosen in an attempt to allow Daoism to guide the study so as to not come to a predetermined Christian conclusion. Cosmogony points to Ultimate Concern as ultimate due to its being the source of an ordered cosmos. The differences highlight that the Dao is ever-changing in a never-ending universe, but God is an unchanging Supreme Being in a world that will end in the world’s fulfillment at the end of time. Soteriology emphasizes that Ultimate Concern must be enfleshed in order to save. The manner of salvation in Daoism is Lord Lao teaching the Celestial Master to align the chosen people with the flow of the Dao. The means of salvation in Christianity is Jesus ransoming humanity from slavery to sin, teaching the Kingdom of God, and revealing Godself. The study draws the conclusion that Daoism solicits a renewed emphasis on sacramental theology with a deeper understanding of God as Love. God as Love may be the most needed theological resource for the twenty-first century.